Costumes & Candy
by Black Shard
Summary: It's Halloween & the already fun holiday is even better for the ninjas now that their children can take part in the festivities. Of course no Halloween is complete without costumes & candy so they'll have to pull all the stops to win the costume contest...


**Costumes & Candy**

 **Happy Halloween!**

 **In honor of one of my favorite holidays of the year, I have yet another Halloween special for you! This time, it's about the ninjas' kids but the ninjas themselves will have some moments & just like the title, there's going to be costumes & candy! See what I did there?**

 **As always, here's the disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago, Lego does. Now enjoy!**

* * *

One of the aspects that gave the season of autumn its charm was the leaves in many different colors dancing down from the branches but that's not all. The people of Ninjago were blessed with bountiful harvests which they celebrated with feasts and festivals with family and friends. Even the cool weather was able to soothe the heat of summer.

But for children, the best season of autumn was…

"IT'S HALLOWEEN!"

Leon ran around the halls of the monastery as if he was in a sugar rush… which he wasn't.

Willow playfully ran along with him, filling the halls with her giggles.

"Be careful you two," Lloyd warned his children, "It would be bad if you fall down and get hurt."

"I can't! I'm too excited!" The green ninja's successor kept running in circles until his father got hold of him before something bad can happen.

"Calm down," The hero of Ninjago chuckled at his son's antics, "Save it for the party."

Willow paused to see all the decorations being placed all over her home. There was a lot going on and her parents even bought a ton candy because the ninjas and their families were coming along with their friends.

"Mommy?" Willow grabbed her mother's skirt to get her attention, "When do we get to see the other ninjas?"

"When the party starts and that's tonight." Iris nuzzled her daughter.

"Dad, can we have some candy?" Leon already begged his father for some treats.

"You'll have to wait until everyone arrives," Lloyd reminded his son to have patience, "Also, you have to wear a costume if you want to get some good candy."

"And that reminds me. You two should get dressed up. After all, it IS Halloween." Iris smiled at her children who smiled back at her before returning to their rooms to get dressed.

"Our kids definitely have their hands full, don't they?" The former kunoichi chuckled.

"Yeah, but we still have work to do." Lloyd pointed at the decorations they still had to put up.

Lloyd and Iris have been decorating the monastery from top to bottom over the last couple of weeks because they wanted to be over the top so the party will be memorable for the ninjas as well as their children.

Now all they had to do was decorate some of the rooms and then the monastery will be set up for the ninjas' most memorable Halloween yet.

* * *

The Halloween mood was felt everywhere in Ninjago, including Arbouria.

The Julien family were out shopping for the perfect costume for their children. This wasn't their first trip to the costume store because Liana and Forrest had a tough time deciding on what to wear for the party but their parents were patient and even encouraged them to take their time finding the perfect costume.

"Liana, have you picked your costume?" Zane asked his daughter who was busy looking over all the various costumes at the store.

The timid girl soon picked out a rather girly pink costume, not that her father minded.

The full skirt was full of lace and frills and the waist was decorated with a bunch of flowers and butterflies. The center of the bodice was decorated with whimsical patterns that sparkled with glitter and sequins and puffed shoulders were attached to it. Coming with the dress were short yet elegant as well as a tiara studded with jewels and a flower pattern. What was inarguably the most eye-catching part of the costume were the large butterfly wings in bright colors.

"Is that the costume you want?" The former nindroid finally asked her.

Liana nodded but Zane can tell that she was feeling conflicted over her choice.

"Liana, is something wrong?" He bent down to her level to speak to her heart-to-heart.

"I want to go as Princess Butterfly… but everyone at school keeps saying I should be Elsa." The kunoichi of ice complained, "But I don't want to be Elsa…"

"Sweetie, you don't have to. No one's forcing you."

"But the other girls and even some teachers say I should be because I have ice powers."

Zane sighed, knowing how his daughter felt. Even one of his coworkers who loved Frozen even harassed and accused him of being a terrible father for not letting his daughter dress up as the supposedly 'selfless' princess despite repeatedly saying Liana didn't want to and he wanted to respect her wishes. That movie was starting to become a bad influence to some people and not just little girls…

"Just because you have one thing in common with a character doesn't mean you're like them in every way nor do you have to dress as them," Zane finally told his daughter, "I have ice powers and I'm not like Elsa and it's not just because of our genders. Just be what you want to be."

"So can I go as Princess Butterfly?"

"Of course. Leave those bullies to me."

"Dad! I want this!" Forrest grabbed his father's attention with a Robin Hood costume. The tunic resembled leaves and came with a pointed cap topped with a feather.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Heather asked, wanting to make sure her children were happy with their choices.

"Uh-huh!" The nature ninja nodded.

"Yes." Liana added.

"Anything for our children." Zane and Heather almost immediately paid for the costumes.

Their children's happiness was all that they needed to make their Halloween a good one.

* * *

As always, the Charbonneau household was filled with music, even on Halloween.

Luna hummed while brushing Amy and Melody's locks to get them ready for the big Halloween party at the monastery. Both wanted to go as witches but didn't want their costumes to be the exact same so it was lucky for them that Luna was still in contact with the people who designed her costumes back in her days as an idol to make her daughters' witch costumes look unique.

Amy's black dress was decorated with stars and a crescent moon to evoke the image of a night sky while Melody's was orange with black embroidery of different Halloween motifs. They also wore a black cape with their dresses but the inner part of Amy's was purple while Melody's was red. Even their witch hats were different since the earth wielder's hat had a purple bow at the brim while the kunoichi of water's had an orange bobble at the end resembling a pumpkin.

"Do want to show Daddy your costumes?" The former diva suggested once her daughters were fully dressed.

"Yeah!"

The German woman led her daughters to the living room where Cole waited. Once they arrived, he fell silent for several moments until he regained his voice.

"If I didn't know any better, you two really ARE witches because you have cast a spell on me."

The Charbonneau sisters giggled at their father's remark until he caught them in a big hug, the first of what may be many tonight.

"You two will be the cutest witches at the party!" Luna also hugged and kissed her daughters.

* * *

Even the Pyrrhus household was no exception to the hustle and bustle over costumes.

While Akira and Alex were changing into their costumes, their parents talked about what they expect at the party.

"Knowing Lloyd, there's definitely going to be a LOT of candy." Aria jested.

"Do you think there's going to be any horror movies?" Kai asked.

"I wouldn't bet on it. Lloyd and Iris know our kids will be there. Why do you ask?" The kunoichi of wind had a pretty good idea where this conversation was heading…

"Halloween's fun and all but what I wouldn't want to have my kids scared. But they don't have to worry. Not as long as their dad's here to protect them." The former fire ninja boasted.

"Says the man who still gets jittery every time Santa shows up at the mall," The former kunoichi retorted, "Akira and Alex have no problem with him so why not you?"

"Hey! I don't know about you but I'm not exactly thrilled at the idea of a creep sneaking into my house while I'm asleep!" The ninja turned blacksmith shuddered at all the traumatic memories of having to sit on Santa's lap in his early childhood.

"Kai, you're really something else." The olive-skinned woman shook her head but still kissed her husband anyway.

She'll still love him for who he is, for both good and bad.

"Are you both ready?" Kai checked on his children once they finished dressing up.

"Yeah!" Akira came out dressed up like a samurai.

The fire ninja's armor was detailed, borrowing heavily from his aunt's Samurai X uniform which was personally crafted for him by his father and he was sure his aunt would be proud. Atop his traditional samurai helmet was a crest designed to look like a flame to match his element.

"Me too!" Alex soon followed her brother to greet their parents.

The orange kunoichi was dressed up as a prince, unlike most little girls who wanted to dress as a frilly princess. Her suit was elegant with a flowing cape and a little crown atop her chocolate brown hair. Her parents were initially surprised by their daughter's decision to be a prince but in the end, they were all for it. They were actually proud to have such a unique daughter.

* * *

Things were no different for the Walkers who were also invited to the Halloween party.

Jay waited for his sons to get dressed for the party while Nya helped Sayuri get ready.

Chris was the first to come out, dressed as a cowboy that was like no other thanks to Jay's eye for detail. The boots had a circular piece of real metal at the heels so they'll make a prominent clicking sound every time he took a step. His leather vest had a badge made of real gold with his name embossed on it, a red bandanna was tied around his neck and he even got a cowboy hat to complete the look.

Kyle was next, wearing a werewolf costume complete with ears, tails, and paws and even a pair of fangs in his mouth. The rest of his clothes had an intentionally messy look with some parts of them torn up, giving him a wild appearance.

Jay's heart swelled with pride seeing his boys looking good in their costumes but there was still one more.

"Nya, is Sayuri ready?" Jay turned to his wife.

"Yeah," The former kunoichi answered before turning to their daughter, "Sayuri, would you like to show your costume to Daddy?"

The four-year-old shyly came out to show her Halloween costume.

Although she didn't have any powers, Sayuri was still invited to the party. She wore an orange dress with a black Halloween-themed print on the hem of the skirt. Attached to the back were a pair of tiny bat wings and at the back of the waist hung a devil tail. Finally, a pair of horns stuck out from her strawberry blonde locks.

"Well aren't _you_ the cutest little devil?" Jay lifted his youngest child in his arms and nuzzled her.

"Come on, Dad! We don't wanna be late!" Kyle gently tugged his father's leg.

"Okay, Kyle." The ninja turned inventor chuckled at his son's impatience and went outside with his wife, who whistled for Star.

Once the family got on, the elemental dragon took off into the night sky…

* * *

Even Leon and Willow were busy getting dressed for the Halloween party.

Leon was first to present himself, dressed up as Batman. He had almost every detail down, from the shape of the cape to the patterns on his suit.

Willow wore a dark blue dress with a habit that made her resemble a nun but parts of her dress and habit were tattered and the brownish-gold locks that weren't hidden by her habit appeared messy, giving her a haunting air.

Lloyd, Iris, and Sensei Wu waited for them to come out and show their costumes.

"You look great." Lloyd smiled with fatherly pride at his children.

"Oh, you look so adorable!" Iris gushed and showered them with kisses and cuddles.

"Impressive." Wu said with sincerity in his voice.

"Daddy, can we eat candy now?" Willow looked up to her father.

"Just a moment, sweetie. Don't leave the others out." Lloyd patted her head.

"When are they coming? I'm getting hungry." Leon pouted under his mask.

"Here they come!" Iris pointed at the vague silhouettes of four dragons flying in the night sky.

The light of the full moon made the remaining elemental dragons easy to see against the dark autumn clouds until they got close and landed in front of the gates leading to the monastery.

"I'm so glad you all made it!" Iris hugged her former teammates.

"Wouldn't want to miss celebrating the best holiday ever with you guys!" Kai jested.

The ninjas and their children exchanged greetings before finally going inside.

* * *

The outside of the monastery was already decorated with over-the-top details befitting such a spooky holiday. A gnarled black fence surrounded a bunch of tombstones in front of the actual building and the courtyard was littered with gnarled trees and a bunch of ghosts and skeletons hung from the branches.

Even the interior of the monastery was like a haunted house with all the cobwebs and dimmed lights. There was even coffins and sarcophagi at the far corner of some of the rooms revealing vampires and mummies resting inside.

"The Garmadon family's eye for detail sure is impressive." Zane stared at the decorations.

In the center of the monastery, everything was all laid out, from food to entertainment.

"Looks like you didn't hold back with the food either." Cole glanced at all the spooky foods and sweets crammed on the tables, eyeing the pumpkin cake in particular.

Bowls filled to the brim with just about every single candy known in Ninjago covered the tables as well as some themed goodies such as mummy-shaped hot dogs and vegetables with dip in a bread coffin.

"Of course! No Halloween is complete without candy!"

The green ninja's remark brought out a few chuckles from his allies.

Even as a grown man, Lloyd still had an affinity for candy though it was definitely toned down in comparison to his younger self.

There were plenty of stuff outside of candy to keep the kids entertained such as the big HD TV playing all kinds of Halloween movies and specials and all sorts of games set up.

"Huh… I was kinda hoping for some good horror movies." Jay glanced at the TV playing 'It's the Great Jack-O-Lantern Charles Brown' with the kids practically glued to the screen.

"Jay, this is supposed to be a party, not nightmare fuel." Cole sneered at the first lightning ninja, his plate already filled with pumpkin cake and other sweets.

"I get it. It's just that since it's Halloween, there should be some actual scary stuff and that's my favorite part of Halloween!" The ninja turned inventor exclaimed.

"Jay, we don't want to scare our children." Nya made sure her husband didn't forget that their kids were here, especially little Sayuri.

"Heh heh… sorry…" Jay rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Anyway, how's life?" Iris tried to spark a conversation amongst the former ninjas.

"It's all good," Heather started, "Business at the flower shop's been good as usual and Zane got nominated for another 'Best Teacher' award."

"I wouldn't consider myself the _best_ ," The ever modest ice wielder responded, "I just do what I can to make sure my students understand the subject."

"I understand," Luna added, "I'm actually enjoying my job as a teacher instead of an idol and I also try to get my students to enjoy themselves."

"Well they're lucky to have such a wonderful woman to teach them." Cole wrapped his brawny arm around his wife and kissed her.

"Cole!" The former diva giggled while her spouse continued to tickle her neck with light kisses.

"Guys, stop! All this romantic stuff will get contagious!" Aria teased the Charbonneau couple.

"Too late!" Before the former kunoichi knew what was happening, Kai playfully dipped her as if they were dancing and covered her lips with his, not that she was complaining.

Away from all the mushy stuff, the new generation were getting into the Halloween spirit.

* * *

The kids were completely engrossed with 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' while munching on all the candy they can get their hands on. But they were also having a little contest on who had the best costume.

"Kyle's my favorite," Akira pointed at his cousin's costume, "At least he tried to look scary."

The metal ninja beamed at his cousin's compliment but others didn't take it so well…

"And what is THAT supposed to mean!?" Alex and the Charbonneau sister's had their hands on their hips as they scowled at him.

"H-hey! It's just the tradition of Halloween! There's gotta be some spooky stuff!" The new fire ninja raised his hands in self-defense.

"By the way, that costume looks like our mom's." Chris remarked at his cousin's get-up.

"What did you expect? Our parents are related." Akira shrugged.

"Your costume's SO pretty!" Willow gushed at Liana's butterfly-theme costume.

"T-thanks… I thought you wouldn't like it… because it's not Elsa…" Liana blushed, still not used to getting compliments outside of her family.

"Of course not!" Amy exclaimed, "It's actually great to get away from Elsa! Believe me, almost every girl at my school was dressed as her and it was like an army!"

"Please don't talk about that movie!" Chris covered his ears, "I'm so sick of hearing those songs over and over!"

"Fine. Moving on… I think Alex might have the best costume. It's really original, especially since she's the only girl not wearing a skirt." Leon pointed at the kunoichi of wind's boyish costume.

"Yup! There's no way I'll ever wear a skirt!" The cross-dressing girl had her hands on her hips in a triumphant air.

"Not even if you get married?" Amy inquired.

"Yeah!"

The debate started to get heated with everyone arguing that their costume was the best until it fell to Chris to quell the arguments.

"Hey!" The lightning ninja shouted to get the others' attention.

"We'll settle this with a vote!" The eldest ninja quickly crafted an empty tissue box to count the ninjas' votes, "Whoever gets the most votes for best costume will get to have all the candy left in the bowls in front of us!"

The others eyed the candies left in the containers and seeing there was still quite a bit left, they all hoped they'll win…

"Fair enough…" Forrest complied, hoping he'll win the candy.

"Alex, what do I do?" The still naïve Sayuri asked her cousin.

"Write the name of the person you think has the best costume and then put it in the box. Don't show the name to anyone or that will be unfair." Alex explained the rules to the little girl.

"So when do we vote?" Melody asked.

"Right now."

The little ones didn't have the patience to get some paper so they ended using the white side of their candy wrappers to write down who they thought had the best costume and slipped them into the box and Chris made sure they all gave just one vote before putting his in.

"Okay! All the votes have been counted!"

Everyone leaned forward, eager to know who had the best costume and won all the candy left.

"And the winner is…"

* * *

 **Cliffhanger ending. I know. But I wanted this story to have an ending that can only be interpreted by the reader so whoever you think had the best costume will win all the candy instead of having just 1 canon winner & leaving the others in the cold.**

 **Now I'm off to a Halloween party but as always, please review!**


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